Dammaj
دماج | |
---|---|
Town | |
![]() Dar Al-Hadeeth (left) in Dammaj | |
Coordinates: 16°53′38″N 43°48′08″E / 16.89389°N 43.80222°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Saada Governorate |
District | As Safra |
Government | |
• Type | Local |
Population (2007) | |
• Total | 15,626 |
Time zone | GMT+3 |
Climate | BWh |
Dammaj (Arabic: دماج, romanized: Dammāj) is a small town in the Sa'dah Governorate of north-western Yemen, southeast by road from Sa'dah in a valley of the same name.
Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i established the Madrasah Dar al-Hadith in Dammaj in 1979,[1] an important center of learning for followers of the Salafi creed,[2][3] who make up the majority of the town.[4] In 2014, the non-local Salafis, including all of the students there, were evicted.[5]
The town was at the target of the Siege of Dammaj, and in November 2013, further sectarian violence between militants of the Houthi-led Shia movement and Sunnis erupted in the town, creating many casualties; some 50 had been killed by the start of the second week.[6][7] In one incident in late November, a mine exploded as a military vehicle was passing by, killing two Yemeni soldiers.[8]